The present subject matter relates generally to a device for location-based tracking. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device carried by a user that alerts other users when a given device has started or stopped moving without requiring pre-defined geofences.
Location-aware tracking devices usually work using pre-defined geofences. For example, if a parent was trying to track a child's movements, the parent might draw a geofence around the child's school. When the child enters or exits the pre-defined geofence, the parent will receive a notification on an external system configured to alert the parent.
Existing technology requires that users of location-based tracking draw these geofences in order to receive the notifications. This requirement creates flaws in the system. First, drawing geofences can be time-consuming and error-prone. But more importantly, the user may not know ahead of time all the areas where geofences should be drawn. For example, a parent might draw a geofence around their child's school because the parent knows the child goes to school everyday. But the parent would not draw geofences around the other locations the child might visit after school. So if the child went to a friend's house after school, the parent would receive a notification when the child left school but not when the child left the friend's house.
Accordingly, there is a need for a location-based tracking mechanism that includes start and stop motion triggers and does not require pre-defined geofences, as described herein.